Hi friends!
In today’s post I wanted to talk about the benefits of having an ESA, specifically the benefits I have noticed and how my dog Happy provides emotional support to me.
ESA stands for Emotional Support Animal, and having an ESA helps people who struggle with mental health issues/disabilities. As someone who has anxiety, having an emotional support dog has helped me in so many ways. I always say Happy has saved me on multiple occasions, having her in my life is such a blessing.
So, if we go back to the beginning, I had always wanted a dog, since I was a little girl, but both my mom and brother are allergic, so we were never able to. I thought I was probably not going to get a dog until I was older, maybe when I had a family and was more settled. But then 2017 happened. I was stuck at home in Sweden and was at the lowest point of my life, both physically and mentally.
I think a lot of people were a little surprised when I told them I was getting a dog in early 2018 but I think the reason I decided to get Happy when I did was because I subconsciously knew I needed an emotional support dog. At the time I did not even know what an ESA was, but after I had already gotten Happy I heard a youtuber talk about how her dog was an ESA, and when I read about what that meant exactly I knew immediately that this was what Happy was for me.
By the end of 2017 I was in a pretty dark place as I couldn’t really do much and I felt like the doctors were giving up on me and finding out what was wrong with my health. I was starting to feel like this was going to be my life, living at my moms, staying in bed all day just watching movies on my laptop as I did not have the energy to do anything else. But then something inside of me made me start looking into different dog breeds, prioritizing low shed and hypoallergenic dogs since I was living at home with people who were still allergic, but also wanting a dog that was very companionable, cuddly and playful.
Sometimes it’s important to listen to your intuition and that is what I did. And in January 2018 I found the most perfect little puppy. Since I got her from Denmark I couldn’t bring her home until the middle of May, but after that my life changed drastically. And after reading up on ESAs I realized that that’s what Happy is for me and why she has changed my life so much.
My mom actually came up with her name as I was having a hard time deciding. She said I should name her Happy as an affirmation, in the sense that if you say the word enough times a day you are bound to feel it, even if you are having a hard time or a rough day. And trust me when I say that I say the word Happy about a million times a day, haha! Also, she is the happiest little creature and makes me and everyone she encounters so happy, so the name suits her perfectly.
These are the 8 biggest ways that Happy has helped me:
- Companionship – Having someone there all the time, someone to snuggle and who loves you unconditionally, it’s invaluable. Especially as someone who has struggled with chronic loneliness, never having to feel like I’m alone is extremely helpful. Throughout last year, being by myself in Boston as quarantine took place I think I would have lost my mind without Happy.
- Creating routines – When I first got Happy I spent most of my days just at home, not really doing much as I did not have the energy, so I did not have much routine in my day. Days melted into nights and time didn’t really matter. But when I got Happy she obviously wanted to get up at a certain time, eat, go outside etc. This helped me immensely, since most days I wouldn’t even eat breakfast, now I was reminded to do so, and I went out at specific times with her which helped split up my day. Also, after Happy was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis she had to start taking medications daily and this was around the time I had started taking my supplements recommended by HerCare and giving her medication daily reminded me to take mine every day as well. So, ESAs are great at helping you create a routine and reminding you to do things like go outside and take your medicine etc.
- A sense of purpose – Having someone to take care of beside myself, especially in the beginning when I was at my absolute lowest, gave me a reason to get out of bed every day. Even now, when I am in a much better place, I still have days or periods when I struggle, but it doesn’t matter because Happy still needs to get fed, to go outside and to play, and doing those things helps me to get out of my own head. I keep moving, because she needs me to, and some days that is the main reason I get up in the morning.
- Social interactions – As someone who struggles with social anxiety, having my little furry friend by my side helps me so much in social situations. It’s easier to talk to someone when Happy is with me, and it’s almost like training for me, as having such a cute dog automatically makes people come up to me and talk to me because of my dog, and that’s good for me. Something that I find hard because of my anxiety is going to the grocery store, and being able to bring her with me makes it possible for me to even go and buy my groceries every week.
- Help in stressful situations – If I am feeling a lot of stress and anxiety just having her by my side helps me every time. Just petting a dog releases oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin, all “feel good” chemicals, in the body, and it slows down your heart rate as well. So physically having your dog around helps to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. If I’m having a bad day or I’m feeling down, Happy will come and sit in my lap, and petting her and sticking my nose in her fur and smelling her unique Happy scent, it calms me down immediately.
- Get moving – Thanks to Happy I get outside and moving every day, rain or shine, no matter how I’m feeling emotionally. This is good for me not just physically, as it gets me moving, but it is also very important for my mental health. I have always felt my most calm and connected when I am outside in nature so having an emotional support dog that makes me go outside every day is so good for me.
- Flying support – I have actually always loved flying, but after my horrible flying experience from Australia (read about that here) I have developed flight anxiety. So being able to have Happy there with me on the plane, right next to me and being able to pet her, this helps me while flying so incredibly much. This is why I was so frustrated to learn about the ESA ban on all American airlines. It is not okay that there have been people exploiting the fact that ESAs fly for free and outside of a carrier, but punishing the people that actually need their emotional support dog on flights that they have to go on, I just don’t believe that’s right.
- Laughing – Happy is such a cute and funny little dog. And on days where I feel really low she still manages to make me laugh as she chases her own tail or does something else in her funny and unique manner. She brightens every single one of my days just by being her adorable self.
Overall, having an emotional support dog can raise your quality of life drastically. It’s amazing, the powerful impact an animal can have on your life and mental health.
And ESAs have to be prescribed by your licensed mental health professional, so you have to have an emotional or mental disability in order to receive your ESA letter.
If you have any questions please leave them in the comments, or if you also have an ESA feel free to share your own experience!
Until next time!
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